Christine Harvey is a New Zealand tā moko (Māori tattoo) artist and teacher.

Life and career

Harvey was born in Christchurch. She has both Moriori and Māori heritage, and belongs to the Māori iwi (tribes) of

Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

, Te Ātiawa ki Te Tauihu,

Ngāti Toa Rangatira Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

, and Kāti Māmoe. Harvey began her career in the mid-1990s; initially she trained as a painter, but became interested in tā moko as a part of her Māori heritage. She was mentored by Māori artist

Riki Manuel Riki Henare Manuel (born 1960) is a New Zealand Māori carver and tohunga moko (Māori tattoo expert) of Ngāti Porou descent. Biography Born in Oamaru in 1960 and one of six siblings, Manuel was brought up in Rakaia, before moving to Cobden, ...

. The start of her career coincided with a revival of interest in tā moko as an art form and particularly a revival of moko kauae, chin tattoos worn by women. New Zealand news website ''Stuff'' has described her as being at the "forefront" of the revival of tā moko. She has designed and inked traditional tā moko all over New Zealand, and many customers request her work because she is one of few women who practice the art. She uses modern tools as well as traditional uhi (chisels) carved from bone. She was the artist for

Ariana Tikao Ariana Rahera Tikao (born 1971) is a New Zealand singer, musician and author. Her works explore her identity as a Kāi Tahu woman and her music often utilises taonga pūoro (traditional Māori musical instruments). Notably, she co-composed the ...

's moko kauae, and Tikao wrote a book about the experience (together with photographs by Matt Calman and Māori language text by

Ross Calman Ross Calman is a New Zealand Māori writer, editor, historian, and translator of the Māori language. Early life and career Calman was born in Upper Hutt in the early 1970s, and grew up in Auckland, Rotorua and Taranaki. His mother came from a P ...

) called ''Mokorua'' (published by Auckland University Press in 2022). Harvey also has some experience in

whakairo Toi whakairo (art carving) or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone. History Timber was formed into houses, fencepoles, pouwhenua, containers, taiaha, tool handles and waka (boats). Carving tools ...

(traditional Māori carving); in 2021 she was one of eight female Māori artists whose traditional carvings were featured in an online and in-person exhibition held by Toi Māori Aotearoa. Harvey was also working as an art teacher at Te Kura Whakapūmau Te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha school in Christchurch. She homeschooled her five children, and one of her daughters is also a tā moko artist.

References

External links

Podcast – Tā moko
featuring Harvey and others, hosted by the Christchurch City Libraries website, 18 September 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Christine Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Ngāti Mutunga people Kāti Māmoe people Ngāti Toa people Te Āti Awa people Artists from Christchurch 20th-century New Zealand women artists 21st-century New Zealand women artists Women tattoo artists New Zealand Māori carvers Moriori people Tattoo artists